In the past, the most common way of displaying video imagery was to project an image onto a flat screen, which shows the image in two dimensions (2-D). In recent years, methods of simulating a three-dimensional (3-D) image have been developed. One of these methods includes a user wearing stereoscopic glasses to allow each of the user's eyes to see a different perspective of a representation of an object. In theory, the user's mind combines the images from each eye, creating, to the user, the appearance of 3-D depth. However, the 3-D effect produced by stereoscopic glasses cannot provide accurate depth cues or motion parallax. In other words, it is not possible for a user to move his/her head and observe a representation of an object from different angles.
Holograms, in contrast, can produce more realistic 3-D images. Holograms can allow a user to see different perspectives of a representation of a 3-D object from different angles and locations. Holograms can further provide a user with information about the size, shape, and color of a represented object. These holograms are generally created using lasers, which can produce complex light interference patterns, including spatial data, required to re-create a 3D object.
Recent advances in holographic projection have allowed the technology to be included in mobile devices. These advances can allow the user of the mobile device to create three dimensional video objects in the air using the mobile device.